There are approximately 3,000 Pregnancy Help Centers across the United States.
I’m not sure how many total abortion facilities there are, but I do know there are around 700 Planned Parenthood abortion facilities.
If the number of pro-life Pregnancy Help Centers versus the number of Planned Parenthood facilities was the only data you had to work with, you’d be pretty optimistic about investing in the Pro-Life Business Industry.
You might think to yourself, “Our locations outnumber Planned Parenthood’s locations by 4 to 1!”
In most customer facing brick-and-mortar businesses, a 4 to 1 advantage over you competitor in terms of physical locations would mean “game over,” you win.
Are They Really Competitors?
Alas, unfortunately, this is not the case in the Pro-Life Business Industry.
There are many reasons for this, but let’s stick with just one today because most pro-life investors are not aware of it.
Here’s a hard truth: the vast majority – I estimate 80 to 90% – of the 3,000 pro-life Pregnancy Help Centers are not really competing against Planned Parenthood.
I use the term “Pregnancy Help Centers” to broadly define the category of the 3,000 pro-life centers, but this isn’t actually accurate.
A better description, often used in the pro-life movement, for the majority of these centers would be “Pregnancy Resource Centers,” also known as PRCs.
The emphasis here is on the word “Resources” which you could generally define as material assistance.
When you dive deeper into the operating philosophy of a typical PRC, it becomes clear that its primary mission is to provide material assistance to those women who are already likely to carry their pregnancies to term.
In other words, PRCs primarily serve women who are not actually prospective clients of Planned Parenthood.
Even if a PRC says to you that they “compete” against Planned Parenthood, you shouldn’t take the statement at face value.
Not What You Say, But What You Can Prove
Instead, ask the PRC to show you their data for how many “abortion-determined” women they persuaded to choose life in the last 12 months.
That term, “abortion-determined,” is well known in the Pro-Life Business Industry to indicate a woman who wants to get an abortion.
And a woman who wants to get an abortion is a prime prospect for the services that Planned Parenthood offers, obviously.
PRCs do not have in place any of the operating strategies and tactics to compete effectively against Planned Parenthood for abortion-determined clients.
Yes, PRCs provide a valuable service. It’s just not a service that will make a dent in lowering demand for abortions.
Understand that if you invest in a PRC, you are not making an investment that will impact the demand side of the abortion issue.
Will the Real Competitors Please Step Forward
If you want to impact the demand side of the abortion “market,” you should invest in a PHC, also known as a Pregnancy Help Center.
Returning to my claim that 80 to 90% of the broad category of PHCs are, in reality, PRCs, how many actual PHCs are there that compete against Planned Parenthood?
Anywhere from 300 to 600, and I would say it tends more toward the 300.
Now the Pro-Life Business Industry doesn’t look so powerful, does it?
And among these 300, there are some that are much more effective than others.
Where can you find them?
We’ll discuss that tomorrow.
Regards,
Brett
Invest in a Real Pregnancy Help Center – Brett Attebery's Diary
[…] an important point that I want you to remember: If that text message had gone to a typical PRC, as we defined a PRC in yesterday’s article, it is very unlikely that the PRC team member receiving that text would have had the proper […]
Invest in a Real Pregnancy Help Center – Brett Attebery's Diary
[…] an important point that I want you to remember: If that text message had gone to a typical PRC, as we defined a PRC in yesterday’s article, it is very unlikely that the PRC team member receiving that text would have had the proper […]
Bridget
Grateful that you are asking really thought provoking questions. Lovely people with lovely intentions are lovely…but not necessarily effective at being a viable market competitor with their local abortionists.
#outcomes!!
Brett Attebery
Thank you Bridget.
I think we are all subject to confusing intent (subjective and emotional) with effectiveness (objective and outcomes based).
It’s interesting that intent (I want to do something!) is so easy, but turning that intent into a reality-based outcome is HARD.
I think many who jump into active pro-life advocacy are high on emotions, but have no idea the challenge they are in for in terms of turning their intent into a pro-life win that can be measured in the real world, especially when competing against an entrenched competitor like Planned Parenthood.
Brett
Bridget
Grateful that you are asking really thought provoking questions. Lovely people with lovely intentions are lovely…but not necessarily effective at being a viable market competitor with their local abortionists.
#outcomes!!
Brett Attebery
Thank you Bridget.
I think we are all subject to confusing intent (subjective and emotional) with effectiveness (objective and outcomes based).
It’s interesting that intent (I want to do something!) is so easy, but turning that intent into a reality-based outcome is HARD.
I think many who jump into active pro-life advocacy are high on emotions, but have no idea the challenge they are in for in terms of turning their intent into a pro-life win that can be measured in the real world, especially when competing against an entrenched competitor like Planned Parenthood.
Brett